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A Superior Court judge became one of a handful of people Tuesday to see a video showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.

But Justice Ian Nordheimer said he will reserve his decision about whether alleged gang member Muhammad Khattak and his lawyers can watch the video until a later date.

For the first time, the Crown told the court that two videos police Chief Bill Blair described at a press conference Oct. 31 are part of the same event. One video, which is a subset of the first, is the video showing Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine. The entire video, the Crown said, is 90 seconds.

The judge viewed the video privately on the investigating officer’s laptop. It was brought to court on a password-protected encrypted flash drive.

The legal request from Khattak’s defence came after several police probes and a flurry of media coverage that has repeatedly used a photo of Ford, Khattak and two other men taken in front of a house at 15 Windsor Rd. as a central image.

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The defence lawyer for Muhammad Khattak argued the now infamous picture of Khattak posing with Ford (Khattak is on the far right) and two other men has been “inextricably linked” with the video and there is “innuendo” in court and the media that Khattak was somehow involved in making the video. (TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

Nathan Gorham, lawyer for Muhammad Khattak, speaks to media after arguing before Justice Ian Nordheimer that he should be allowed to view the video as part of his defence of the alleged gang member. The judge viewed the video personally but withheld his decision on Gorham's application. (RENE JOHNSTON / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

Police have called the dwelling a “drug house,” and Blair said earlier that is where investigators believe the video was shot.

Khattak was arrested and charged in June as part of Project Traveller, a guns and gang sweep focused on the Dixon Rd. community in Etobicoke.

Last week, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor,” saying it was about a year ago.

On Tuesday, Khattak’s lawyer, Nathan Gorham, argued his client has an interest in viewing the video, to defend himself against “innuendo” he was somehow involved in the production or sale of it.

Last week, Crown attorney Grace Hession David confirmed Khattak does not appear, nor can he be heard on the video. She also said the laptop the video was recovered from was not Khattak’s.

But Gorham argued if there are any other identifying features — people, voices or background — that could help Khattak investigate who was involved, then he has a legal interest in seeing it.

After watching the video, Nordheimer said there are potential “leads” in the video, but has not decided yet whether Khattak and his lawyers should be allowed to see it.

The video will be part of evidence against Ford friend Alexander “Sandro” Lisi after he was arrested for extortion last month. Police allege that Lisi threatened two alleged gang members in an attempt to retrieve the video.

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